Robert Mormando, DO, FACP
Specializing in Internal Medicine
Michael Rodriguez, MD, FAAP
Veronica Marciano, R-PAC
Specializing in Internal Medicine & Pediatrics
410 Hallock Avenue
Port Jefferson Station, New York 11776
PHONE: (631) 642-1100
FAX: (631) 642-1190
www.portjeffmed.com
PATIENT NAME:_____________________
SS#: _____-____-______
HEPATITIS B VACCINE
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
1. Why get vaccinated?
Hepatitis B is a serious disease. The hepatitis B virus (HBV) can cause short-term (acute)
illness that leads to: • loss of appetite • diarrhea and vomiting • tiredness • jaundice (yellow skin or
eyes)
• pain in muscles, joints, and stomach.
It can also cause long-term (chronic) illness that leads to:
• liver damage (cirrhosis) • liver cancer • death
About 1.25 million people in the U.S. have chronic HBV infection. Each year it is estimated that:
80,000 people, mostly young adults, get infected with HBV. More than 11,000 people have to stay
in the hospital because of hepatitis B. About 4,000 to 5,000 people die from chronic hepatitis B.
Hepatitis B vaccine can prevent hepatitis B. It is the first anti-cancer vaccine because it can
prevent a form of liver cancer.
2. How is hepatitis B virus spread
Hepatitis B virus is spread through contact with the blood and body fluids of an infected person. A
person can get infected in several ways, such as having unprotected sex with an infected person, by
sharing needles when injecting illegal drugs, by being stuck with a used needle on the job, during
birth when the virus passes from an infected mother to her baby. About 1/3 of people who are
infected with hepatitis B in the United States don’t know how they got it..
3. Who should get hepatitis B vaccine and when?
1) Everyone 18 years of age and younger
2) Adults over 18 who are at risk
Adults at risk for HBV infection include:
- people who have more than one sex partner in 6 months
- men who have sex with other men
- sex contacts of infected people
- people who inject illegal drugs
- health care and public safety workers who might be exposed to infected blood or body fluids
- household contacts of persons with chronic HBV infection
- hemodialysis patients
If you are not sure whether you are at risk, ask your doctor or nurse.
People should get 3 doses of hepatitis B vaccine according to the following schedule. If
you miss a dose or get behind schedule, get the next dose as soon as you can. There is no need to start over.
WHO
HEPATITIS B
VACCINATION
SCHEDULE
Infants whose
mother is
infected with
HBV
Infants whose
mother is not
infected with
HBV
Older child,
adolescent or
adult
First Dose
Within 12 hrs of birth
Birth to 2 months
Any time
Second Dose
1-2 months of age
1-4 months of age
(at least 1 month after
first dose)
1-2 months after
first dose
Third Dose
6 months of age
6-18 months of age
4-6 months after first dose
- The second dose must be given at least 1 month after the first dose.
- The third dose must be given at least 2 months after the second dose and at least 4 months after
the first.
- The third dose should not be given to infants under 6 months of age, because this could reduce
long-term protection.
Adolescents 11 to 15 years of age may need only two doses of hepatitis B vaccine, separated by 4-6
months. Ask your health care provider for details. Hepatitis B vaccine may be given at the same
time as other vaccines.
4. Some people should not get hepatitis B vaccine or should wait.
People should not get hepatitis B vaccine if they have ever had a life-threatening allergic reaction to
baker’s yeast (the kind used for making bread) or to a previous dose of hepatitis B vaccine.
People who are moderately or severely ill at the time the shot is scheduled should usually wait until
they recover before getting hepatitis B vaccine. Ask your doctor or nurse for more information.
5. What are the risks from hepatitis B vaccine?
A vaccine, like any medicine, is capable of causing serious problems, such as severe allergic
reactions. The risk of hepatitis B vaccine causing serious harm, or death, is extremely small.
Getting hepatitis B vaccine is much safer than getting hepatitis B disease. Most people who get
hepatitis B vaccine do not have any problems with it.
Mild problems
• soreness where the shot was given, lasting a day or two (up to 1 out of 11 children and
adolescents, and about 1 out of 4 adults)
• mild to moderate fever (up to 1 out of 14 children and adolescents and 1 out of 100 adults)
Severe problems
• serious allergic reaction (very rare) reactions are extremely rare with any vaccine. If one were to
occur, it would be within a few minutes to a few hours after the shot. Signs can include difficulty
breathing, hoarseness or wheezing, hives, paleness, weakness, a fast heart beat or dizziness.
6. What if there is a moderate or severe reaction?
What should I look for?
Any unusual condition, such as a serious allergic reaction, high fever or unusual behavior. Serious
allergic.
What should I do?
• Call a doctor or get the person to a doctor right away.
• Tell your doctor what happened, the date and time it happened, and when the vaccination was
given.
• Ask your doctor, nurse, or health department to file a Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System
(VAERS) form. Or call VAERS yourself at 1-800-822-7967 or visit their website at
http://www.vaers.org.
7. The National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program
In the rare event that you or your child has a serious reaction to a vaccine, a federal program has
been created to help you pay for the care of those who have been harmed. For details about the
National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, call 1-800-338-2382 or visit the program’s website
at http://www.hrsa.gov/osp/vicp.
8 How can I learn more?
• Ask your doctor or nurse. They can give you the vaccine package insert or suggest other sources
of information.
• Call your local or state health department’s immunization program.
• Contact the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):
-Call 1-800-232-2522 or 1-888-443-7232 (English)
-Call 1-800-232-0233 (Español)
-Visit the National Immunization Program’s website at http://www.cdc.gov/nip or CDC’s
Division of Viral Hepatitis website at http://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Immunization Program
Vaccine Information Statement
Hepatitis B (7/11/01) 42 U.S.C. § 300aa-26
CONSENT
I have reviewed the information above with the patient. If there are any questions or problems, the patient can call
us at (631) 642-1100 Monday-Friday from 9AM-5PM.
__LeeAnn Terranova, LPN
__Nancy Diaz, LPN
__Christina Foster, LPN
__Dr. ______________________
Vaccine Given: __Rt __Lt __Deltoid __Thigh __Buttock
Date: